We, the forces of the Hungarian democratic opposition, considering the severity of the situation resulting from the destructive politics of the Hungarian government, find it necessary to declare to all citizens, all Member States, and the leadership of the European Union that Viktor Orbán and his government does not equal the entirety of Hungary as a country. With the inhibition of the European, hence Hungarian, crisis management, the Orbán government acts against the interests and rightful expectations of European and Hungarian citizens.

We, Hungarians did not put an end to the single-party system and did not join the value-based community of the European states – worthy of the legacy of the founder of the state, King Saint Stephen and the great men and women of our nation – to let a corrupt, anti-democratic regime take the place of a proud European country and capture Europe and Hungary, depriving Hungarian and European citizens of their granted rights and support. As the presidents of the parties of the Hungarian opposition, we are bound together by our respect for democracy, the rule of law, and European values. Our shared values oblige us to validate, through joint forces, the rule of law in our home country as soon as possible.

The severity of the situation caused by the economic and pandemic crisis, Hungarian citizens and their enterprises are in desperate need of the EU’s recovery fund. This aid is not intended to benefit the Orbán-government who places its own interest of power before the economic interests of the country, but to the Hungarian people. We, therefore, call upon the institutions of the European Union and the governments of Member States to find a solution in order to stop the Orbán-government’s selfishness from putting obstacles before the remedies for the European and Hungarian economic crisis and to help Hungarian citizens, who now fear to lose their existential stability, and their enterprises access the funding provided by EU to Hungary.

We call all our compatriots to join our statement, who are ready to declare with us that the Orbán-government’s destruction of the European cooperation is not on their behalf and that it seeks to deprive European and Hungarian citizens of granted EU funding against their will and against their interests.

Budapest, 18 November 2020

Tímea Szabó, Gergely Karácsony (Párbeszéd)

Ferenc Gyurcsány (DK)

Péter Jakab (Jobbik)

Erzsébet Schmuck, Máté Kanász-Nagy (LMP)

András Fekete-Győr (Momentum)

Ágnes Kunhalmi, Bertalan Tóth (MSZP)